This error can have a number of root causes–occasionally, it\u2019s shown while accessing popular websites like Gmail, Twitter, and YouTube! This article will cover multiple tricks to fix the TLS handshake failed error in Mozilla Firefox. We\u2019ll start with the client-side causes of this error (i.e., issues relating to your device or browser as a user) and move on to server-side causes of this error (i.e., issues with the website itself). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Troubleshooting the TLS Handshake Failed Error: Check Device\u2019s Date & Time Settings <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What if we told you that one of the most common issues cited for causing TLS handshake failed errors was simply your date and time settings being out of sync? One way this can happen is if you\u2019ve deselected the Adjust for daylight saving time automatically<\/strong> setting. Check to see if the date and time listed are current and that you have On<\/strong> selected for the daylight saving time option (if you live in an area with Daylight Savings Time). <\/p>\n\n\n\n If it\u2019s still not working, try selecting Sync now<\/strong> to see if it resolves the issue. If this doesn’t work, your issue could be browser related. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we begin, you need to find out whether the issue is with the website\u2019s SSL\/TLS certificate or Firefox\u2019s security settings. To do so, open the website in another browser<\/strong> and see which of the following two scenarios best fits your situation:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you CAN\u2019T<\/strong> access the website on other browsers as well and encounter a \u201cYour connection is not private\u201d error page. This means that the issue is with the website\u2019s SSL certificate and not the browser itself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n If that is the case, you, as a website visitor, can compel your browser to ignore the error. Follow the articles below to get rid of the error pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Browsers can show such errors for multiple reasons, including:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Only the website owner or webmaster can solve such issues on a permanent basis. But as we mentioned above, a website visitor can still access the website by tweaking some settings in the browser.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you CAN<\/strong> access the website in other browsers but not in Firefox, it indicates that Firefox’s security settings are obstructing the TLS handshake process.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s follow the below-mentioned steps to get rid of the TLS handshake failed error in Mozilla Firefox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Mozilla\u2019s definition<\/a>, “a profile in Firefox is the collection of settings, customizations, add-ons, and other personalization that a user has made or installed into their copy of Firefox.\u201d If the user profile has some misconfigured settings, it might create hurdles during the TLS handshake process. By creating a new default user profile, you can easily eliminate the TLS handshake failed error. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever you visit a website, Firefox stores the website\u2019s SSL\/TLS certificate in its local database. Some webmasters use the self-signed TLS certificate and replace it many times. Because all such certificates are generated for the same domain name, the details (such as the issuer’s name, domain name, public key, etc.) remain identical in all of the certificates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When a user opens such a website, Firefox tries to fetch the entire collection of SSL certificates that are stored in its cert9 file. Because it attempts to complete the TLS handshake with each certificate, the process gets jammed. You can delete the pre-stored certificates from cert9 (or cert8) files. This step will force Firefox to connect only with the latest TLS certificate the website uses and ignore all other old certificates. This is a solution you\u2019ll commonly see recommended on Firefox support pages: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many versions of the TLS protocol have been introduced (and, in some cases, depreciated) over time in the cybersecurity industry. All browsers typically try to block the depreciated TLS versions and accept only the latest ones in order to protect their users. So, if the website you are trying to visit is still using the SSL certificate with old algorithms, Firefox will try to block it. This can result in what\u2019s known as a protocol mismatch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, our recommendation is to make purchases from or share your information with websites that are using the TLS 1.2 protocol as a minimum. (If it\u2019s using TLS 1.3, cool, but TLS 1.2 is still the most commonly used protocol at this time.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if you just want to test and see if an outdated protocol is the error, you can apply the following trick to force Firefox to accept all the TLS versions. (NOTE: Enabling your browser to run TLS 1.0 or TLS 1.1 isn\u2019t something we recommend doing \u2014 it\u2019s always better to run TLS 1.2 as a minimum. Always move forward \u2014 don\u2019t downgrade your protocol because it\u2019s dangerous.)<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n To do this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n When the security TLS version is set 1 as minimum and 4 as maximum, it forces Firefox to accept all four versions of TLS certificates (i.e., TLS 1, TLS 1.1, TLS 1.2, and TLS 1.3<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even after the website has resolved TLS-related issues, browsers can still sometimes display various errors. This is because flawed certificates can sometimes remain stored in your browser\u2019s cache memory, causing errors to still pop up sometimes. You can delete the cookies and cache memory to fix it. Here\u2019s how: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Still can’t get rid of this pesky TLS handshake error? If you\u2019ve not been able to figure out the reason or fixed it with any of the steps we\u2019ve covered, reinstalling Firefox is the only option you have left. This will reset all the settings and update all the security components. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If this step and the others we\u2019ve mentioned doesn\u2019t fix the issue, then it means that there\u2019s an issue on the server side. Unfortunately for you, this is something beyond your control. But you can (and should) reach out to the website\u2019s admin to report the issue to make them aware. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve seen the potential fixes that site users can try to see if it addresses the TLS handshake or HTTPS related errors. But what can you do as a website owner or admin if the issue is on the server\u2019s end? You can run through all of those checks yourself using your Firefox browser to see if it\u2019s a browser-related issue. But if it\u2019s not, here are a few tricks you can try to mitigate this issue on your server. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is No. 1 on our list for a good reason. Certificate-related issues are among the most common causes of TLS handshake failed errors. For example, if someone visits your website and your certificate recently expired or was revoked, it can cause the server to display TLS handshake-related errors to the user. This is bad news for your current or prospective customer, and bad news for you as a site owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what a basic overview of a valid SSL\/TLS certificate looks like in Firefox: <\/p>\n\n\n\n See how the expiration date is right up front and center? It\u2019s because the certificate\u2019s validity really is that important. Here\u2019s a more in-depth look that also shows both the precise moment when the certificate is set to expire but also when it was issued: <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll sometimes come across expired SSL certificates on websites because of two key reasons: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to deal with this problem is to stop it from happening in the first place through certificate life cycle management. When know where all of your digital certificates are and have a clear of your IT infrastructure, you\u2019ll know: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This way, you can renew your certificates before they expire and do what needs to be done to take care of revoked certificates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some TLS handshake errors go by different names depending on their cause. For example, in some cases, you might see an error message talking about an invalid certificate chain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every SSL\/TLS certificate is part of a larger line of certificates that form what\u2019s known as the SSL certificate chain<\/a> or a \u201cchain of trust.\u201d This means that the website certificate, also called a leaf certificate, ties back to an intermediate certificate, which then ties back to an issuing root certificate. They\u2019re tied to one another through the use of special digital signatures that are based on public key cryptography. This creates the \u201cchain\u201d that your site visitors\u2019 browsers check on the back end to ensure the authenticity of your certificate (and, therefore, the authenticity of your website). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not sure where to find this information? Look in your certificate details. The three certificates in SectigoStore.com\u2019s certificate trust chain are marked at the top, and down below, you\u2019ll see the circled information for the intermediate CA that issued and digitally signed our website certificate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If, for some reason, a user reports that they\u2019re receiving a TLS handshake error, it\u2019s possible that their browsers are unable to locate your intermediate certificate (i.e., the middle certificate in the trust chain). If this happens, you\u2019ll need to install the intermediate certificate on your server. To do this, go to the website of the certificate authority that issued the SSL\/TLS certificate for your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-10-1024x733.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTroubleshooting the TLS Handshake Failed Error: Is the Issue a Browser Error? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If You Can’t Access the Website on Other Browsers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Fix the Issue<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Reasons Why This Error Occurs<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
If You Can Access the Website Using Other Browsers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Troubleshooting the TLS Handshake Failed Error as Site User\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
User Solution 1: Change User Profile <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"TLS](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-7-1024x412.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUser Solution 2: Delete the cert9.db (or cert8.db) Folder <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"TLS](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-8-1024x537.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-9-1024x503.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUser Solution 3: Change TLS Version <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-1-1024x307.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUser Solution 4: Clear Your Browser\u2019s Cache, Cookies, and Browsing History <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-6-1024x575.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUser Solution 5: Reinstall Firefox <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTroubleshooting the TLS Handshake Failed Error as a Website Admin <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Admin Solution 1: Check for Certificate-Related Errors (Including Expiration and Revocation) <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-3.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAdmin Solution 2: Check for Any Errors in Your Certificate Trust Chain <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-5.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/image-4.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n